Thursday

I have admired the work by Beyond the Rockz since the first time that I saw their beautiful collection on Etsy. If you haven't peeked into their shop...you must. Such unusual pieces. Simple, elegant and everything looks so well made. I have a favorite piece, but I can't tell you which one it is --since you may purchase it before me...

1. When did you become interested in art and did you choose art, or did it choose you?

For both of us, we were children when we experienced what we can now describe as the marvel of inspiration and the satisfaction that comes from harmonic expression. These first experiences are very much a part of who we are artistically. When Caroline was little, she enjoyed creating dollhouses from cardboard boxes, fabric remnants and found objects and Al spent hours drawing plans for making imaginative characters and vessels out of modeling clay. Over the years and learning that passion needs technique in order for it to grow and express itself, those early impulses steadily grew into a creative drive.

2. You get to spend one weekend each with three historical figures, an artist, a writer and one of your choice. Who are they and what will you talk about or do?

Very difficult to choose, but for historical artist and writer we'll go with Michelangelo. There's a poem he wrote while working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in which he writes with torment "... and painting is my shame." We know he referred to himself as a sculptor, not a painter, but still Michelangelo's feelings expressed in his poem are a surprising and unexpected disclosure that has stayed with us. To be on the scaffolding in the Sistine Chapel and witness a portion of that ceiling being illuminated by his hand or to be right there in his studio watching him reveal the Pietà from within the marble - - either would be an awe-inspiring experience beyond description.

Coaxing the earth to bear a beautiful garden is another art we enjoy. So, we would also like to go back in time and spend a weekend gardening with Claude Monet on his property in Giverny. To see Monet in his garden involved in the continual process of making, and completely for his own enjoyment. Now that would be a wonderful experience!

3. How has the popularity of the Internet affected your work?

We think the Internet has helped art immensely. It's amazing how it has put the art world back into the spotlight, and because of its accessibility, the art-appreciating audience continues expanding and diversifying so that all ages and backgrounds from around the world are coming together and appreciating art like never before. For artists, personal websites, blogs, portfolios, curated art and design sites, art communities and marketplaces - - are all wonderful opportunities. We're glad that the narrow road leading to being noticed by big corporates has now opened up and branched out to so many other and varied possibilities. We're doing our best to identify the most effective places for Beyond the Rockz, and we're excited about the future.

4. Have you discovered any new technique to creating your work that you can share? How do you overcome artist block?Caroline just completed one intensive year of weekly trial and error attempts for a unique process creating reversible mixed media pieces. Al's work is less pavé these days and more granulation and mixed metal combinations. Notebooks filled with ideas, new processes that don't quite work or don't work at all, sketches of new designs and collections of natural materials, faceted stones, natural stones from around the world (we just received a package of exquisite natural stones from Italy), and new tools yet to be tried out. There aren't enough hours in a day or days in a week for all we're excited to do, so we do have to sit ourselves down and prioritize on a regular basis. In all the years we've worked together, if there was an artist block for either of us, we simply took that as our cue to put it to the side and move on to the next inspiration.

5. If I walked into your studio this moment what would you show me first? What would you want to hide?

A collaborative design for a ring. Al is finishing the wax model, which Caroline will use for showcasing her mixed-media designs. Hide? Not possible. Can't hide the mess!

6. Describe something that comes up in your work because of a life experience?

The creative process involving the two of us working together comes up daily, which demands developing open-mindedness, respect, flexibility and patience. It's an on-going process. We essentially live two lives, one outside the studio and one in it. Beyond a passion for creating jewelry, we love the simple physical sense of sorting and arranging stones, the feel of metal, and playing with color and texture. The empty sketch pad, raw metals, loose stones, photographs we've taken, pigments, various tools, including the ones we've made ourselves - - these lead us on our journey in whatever direction our glittering mosaic of inspirations whispers. Working together for so long we've found a delicate balance of personal chemistry and artistic empathy, and sometimes we do disagree, but what simply cannot change is that we're deeply connected to each other and this drives us. Oddly, we thrive on disagreement and criticism, and although we're inspired by so many of the same things, our ideas are not always a creative alchemy of individual inspirations that result in a unified interpretation. We're constantly balancing between individual and team, creating apart and together, and we love it this way.

7. Describe what you do or who you are in a haiku

Flowing from the heart Surrendering completely Artistry revealed

8. Is there anything else that you would like to share?

This really was a thought-provoking interview. We enjoyed answering your questions and had fun making a haiku - - thank you very much! And we hope your readers will take a moment to click to our website and explore the art of light with us on ourblog. Thanks again.